Apricot Almond Energy Bites [vegan, gf]

Hello, hello!

I hope that you had a lovely weekend. Mine was pretty relaxing except for some power outage shenanigans. My hubby was away for the Marine Corps, and on Friday night my pup and I went for a long sunset walk along the beach. We came home to the power being out and I was unable to get into my house. Let’s just say I had to get creative and borrow a neighbor’s garbage can to hop onto and climb over my fence to get to a spot where I could let myself in. It was eventful! I was pretty proud of myself for being resourceful. 🙂

My Friday evening beach view

Besides that little bit of craziness, it was a low-key weekend. My cousin visited from Long Beach and stayed with me. We took Harley for a little hike at a nearby park, and went out for Mediterranean food, wine and live music on Saturday night. It was nice getting some quality cousin time in!

Another thing I did over the weekend? 

Whip up a batch of these energy bites… and proceed to eat four of them for lunch! While I usually make energy bites with dates, I’m definitely loving this change-up of using apricots instead.

I’ve been eating fresh apricots since they’re in season right now, but for this recipe, dried fruit is used. The stickiness of the dried fruit is the glue that holds these energy balls together. 

So just what else is in these bites?

• TJ’s creamy salted almond butter (my favorite lately!) & hemp hearts.
• Farmer Direct Co-op‘s quick rolled oats (check out another recipe that I recently posted with their oats here!).
• Nielsen-Massey almond extract. I met them at Natural Products Expo West (I recapped the event here), and they recently sent me some fun extracts to play around with.
• Pure maple syrup to give these bites just the right amount of sweetness.
• A bit of cinnamon (Kind of a given… because what don’t I put cinnamon in? FAVORITE SPICE EVER.), salt & water.

To make the energy bites, simple throw everything in the food processor and pulse until it forms a sticky ball of goodness…

Roll the dough into balls, and it’s as simple as that!

When I was making these bites, I kept thinking about how much I love my food processor. I seriously use it on the daily, and for so many different things. If you don’t have a food processor and are considering getting one, DO IT. It’ll change your meals and how you create them forever!

What I love about energy bites is that they’re such a good little snack. It’s so convenient to have them on hand to grab and go. If I need a little something to hold me over until my next meal this week, the first thing I’ll reach for is one of these babies!

Not only are they great little sweet snacks, they’re nutritious too – as well as vegan + gluten free. A few perks? The healthy fat in the nut butter & hemp hearts will stave off hunger for longer, as will the fiber in the oats and apricots. Hemp hearts also are omega-3 rich, which I’m always conscious of getting enough of as a plant-based eater.

I make a variety of energy bite combos, and while peanut butter + chocolate combos usually take the cake for me, I think that this might be my new favorite one for awhile!

Apricot Almond Energy Bites [vegan, gf]

Foodie Loves Fitness

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Servings 10

Calories 100 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/4 cup creamy salted almond butter
• 1/2 cup quick rolled oats
• 3 TBSP hemp hearts
• 2 TSBP pure maple syrup
• 1/2 TSP almond extract
• 1 TSP cinnamon
• 1 TBSP water
• 1/8 TSP salt

Instructions

 

• Place all ingredients except for the water in the food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a dough.
• Remove the top of the processor, scrape down the sides of the dough and add in the water. Pulse again.
• The mixture should be somewhat sticky and easy to roll into balls. Add a bit more water to achieve desired consistency if necessary.
• Roll into 10 balls. You can eat these bites immediately, or store in the fridge if a bit of a harder texture is desired.

Notes

*Ensure that your oats are certified gluten free if necessary for gluten sensitivities.*

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 100kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 7g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tell me… Do you own a food processor? What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? Are you an apricot fan?